Many athletes and non-athletes utilize weight lifting or weight training exercises to build strength and/or bulk, to prevent injury, or to improve overall condition and appearance. Typically, weight training exercises are performed with either exercise machines or free weights, i.e., barbells and weighted plates, dumbbells, etc. For various reasons, most exercise programs incorporate both machines and free weights in a variety of different exercise routines in order to maximize the effect of working out a desired number of muscle groups.
On one hand, free weights offer a number of advantages over exercise machines. For one, they are relatively inexpensive in comparison. Free weights are also more versatile because a variety of exercises can be performed with one set of weights, whereas most exercise machines are designed for only one exercise. For those exercise machines which do provide for more than one exercise, cost usually increases proportionately with the number of exercises. Another advantage may be more psychological than actual, but many "power" lifters simply prefer the lifting and moving of heavy weighted plates, or the "feel" of free weights. Finally, free weights are popular among many weight lifters because the lifting movements are not restricted to prescribed planes of motion and at prescribed angles determined by a machine.
However, there are a number of inherent disadvantages associated with free weights. One such disadvantage relates to safety. Although most weight room instructors strongly advise against an individual working out by himself or herself, this cautionary measure is particularly important when the lifting of free weights is involved. This is due to commonly recognized dangers such as the possibility of dropping a weight on a body part, or becoming trapped beneath a bar, which could easily occur in exercises such as bench press, incline press or squat. Additionally, through carelessness, loading and unloading of heavy weighted plates onto the ends of a bar sometimes results in an unbalanced bar that falls downward from its rack.
For this reason, a number of "leverage" machines have been developed over the past few years in an effort to combine the safety advantages of an exercise machine with the feel and psychological "lift" provided by free weights. One such machine is referred to as a rowing exercise machine. This enables an exerciser to perform an exercise commonly referred to as a "rowing exercise." While supported upon a seat connected to a frame, the exerciser leans forward and grasps the two handles of a lever which holds a barbell with weighted plates. By pulling the handles rearwardly, the weight is pivoted upwardly, toward the exerciser.
While this lever rowing exercise machine represents an advantage over the prior alternative, that of performing a rowing exercise without the benefit of a machine and at greater injury risk, even this lever rowing exercise machine suffers from a subtle disadvantage that most weight lifters apparently have assumed to be inherent with all exercise machines. That is, the planes and angles of prescribed movement do not seem quite right in relation to the musculoskeletal structure of a normal person. In short, this lever rowing exercise machine does not seem to "fit" the human body. As a result, some individuals experience excessive joint stress or compression from use of this machine, or machines of this type.
Moreover, although the prior lever rowing exercise machine could be used to exercise one arm at a time, it was not designed specifically for that purpose. As a result, performance of one-handed rowing exercise on this machine may even further accentuate the awkwardness that is felt by an exerciser. This is particularly disadvantageous during rehabilitation, when it is often desirable to monitor and compare the relative strength of a previously injured, recovering limb with a healthy limb.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved rowing exercise machine which, compared to prior machines, more naturally accommodates the musculoskeletal movements of a person's body.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved rowing exercise machine that maximizes the exercise benefit attainable during a rowing motion while minimizing skeletal or joint stress.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved rowing exercise machine with increased versatility in exercising one arm at a time.